According to state data, as of Dec. 31, 2024, the office has issued 3,295,078 Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses and state IDs. This represents just 25.34% of all currently valid driver’s license and state IDs. “We feel pressure … Our facilities will swell up, and it will be a problem if people don’t get out and get their REAL ID’s,” […]
According to state data, as of Dec. 31, 2024, the office has issued 3,295,078 Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses and state IDs. This represents just 25.34% of all currently valid driver’s license and state IDs.
“We feel pressure … Our facilities will swell up, and it will be a problem if people don’t get out and get their REAL ID’s,” he said at the time.
Officials have warned Illinois residents not to wait until the last minute to get a Real ID, as the May 7 deadline nears.
- Open at 10 a.m. each day
- Feb. 8 & Feb. 10-16, Closes at 9 p.m.
- Feb. 9, Closes at 6 p.m.
- Feb. 17, Closes at 8 p.m.
For those planning to get a Real ID at the Auto Show, you must have the following documentation:
- Proof of identity and U.S. citizenship or lawful status. Bring in one of the following documents: an original or certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate; a U.S. passport or passport card; an Employment Authorization Document, Form I-766; a Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551; or an unexpired foreign passport with affixed visa and approved Form I-94. For a complete list, please view the Acceptable Identification Documents Chart.
- Proof of full Social Security number (SSN). Bring in one of the following documents: a Social Security card; W-2; pay stub or printed electronic deposit receipt bearing your name and full SSN; SSA-1099 Form; or Non-SSA-1099 Form. Original documents are required.
- Two (2) residency documents. This includes documents such as a utility bill, rental agreement, mortgage bill or medical document. Hard copy documents are required. Images from a cellphone are not accepted, but you may print the image (ex: bank statement) and provide the printed copy. For a complete list, please view the Acceptable Identification Documents Chart.
- Proof of signature. This includes documents such as credit/debit card, cancelled check or current Illinois DL/ID. For a complete list, please view the Acceptable Identification Documents Chart.
While you typically need an appointment to obtain a Real ID in Illinois, there is an exception.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said last year that his office was stepping up efforts to ensure that residents get Real ID-compliant identification prior to the May 7, 2025, deadline, but acknowledged there are “tremendous concerns” about what will happen as the deadline arrives.
The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office will be providing on-site DMV services at this year’s Chicago Auto Show during the entirety of its run, which is Feb. 8 through Feb. 17. Visitors will not only be able to obtain a Real ID, but renew vehicle registration and driver’s licenses, sign up for the organ/tissue donor registry and more.
Appointments were filling up “super fast,” the Illinois Secretary of State’s office warned late last month.
DMV services will be available during the following times, which match the show’s hours:
